The New
by MoroiiAngel
Summary: *CHAPT 7 UP!!*Well, looks like I'm making my big break onto FF.net. ^-^ This is my first fic up, may take awhile to complete.(coincedentally, I started this for my own amusement, b4 finding FF.net) R&R plz!!
1. Chapter 1

Hi. My name is Sheila. Just plain simple Sheila. Nothing more. Nothing less. But that is not what really matters. What really matters is that an alien race is going to attack this earth and there is nothing we can do about it. Well, almost nothing.  
  
You see, there are a few kids, just a hand full, including poor insignificant me, protecting the world. And everything alive on it. Fighting the yeerks. (They do not deserve a capital in my story, so they will go without.)  
  
These yeerks are a parasitic species that crawl in your ear and take over your brain. Not just your speaking or just what you look at, everything, from your eyesight right down to how you react to something. They will block you off from all communication with the world even with the closest of your friends that you thought could read your mind. Yeah, right. You remember last week she asked you if you were all right after tripping over your own feet? Don't you think that if she could read your mind, she would know that you were all right? Just maybe? Well, obviously she can't and never could. And never will. So you just sit there listening to your conversation with your best friend, wishing you could put in your actual advice and ask her help with your probs. Like asking her, "I've got a, like, weird alien living in my brain that takes total control over everything I do. How do I cope?" well, take it from the expert. You can't cope. Nothing you threat about or no matter how much you scream, that yeerk will not give up and no one can hear you besides it. So how do you feel now? 'Oh, I'm so sorry for whoever has one of those things.' But, see, nothing the outside world does matters any more. And that's how it feels. After awhile, you just give up. Forever waiting for someone to realize your head is occupied by something other than your own thoughts. And to give you a second chance to live alone in your head. And I got that rare chance. The small chance that everyone wanted but after they in slaved you, there was no escape. Until the animorphs came and changed that fact.  
  
So, there I was, sitting in my cage along with two other people who hadn't given up yet. And then… explosions everywhere! On my left, right, above! Lasers and Hork-Bajir blades every other place! My cage suddenly was open! I jumped out and looked around. Too my left, the grey, disgusting yeerk pool. Too my right, there was a tiger, a bear, a wolf, a gorilla, and a red tailed hawk. I remembered going to meetings as a yeerk and talking about Andalites. Tail bladed creatures with the power to change shape. Those must be Andalites! They were attacking the yeerks! But no time to stand in awe, I had to get out of there. And fast! So I bolted. I was moving my own legs! It had been so long I stumbled and tripped my way up the stairs, not looking back. I ended up in the mall. It was my favorite hang out. I saw my friends Melissa and Cary, but decided the first place to go was home.  
  
I ran all the way and when I got home I cried and cried. My mom came and stuck her head in to ask if I was all right. I told her I was fine, then went with her to dinner. That was the first of many lies. There was first explaining where I was and why I had come home crying. I simply said I was over at Melissa's house and we got in a big fight. I said we'd probably get over it soon. But I knew we wouldn't be seeing each other much any more. Her father was a yeerk and if he ever saw me again, I'd be dead meat. I already knew they were looking for me. They had called me to the office twice before. The first time I'd brought a friend. The second time they had been more careful. They called me down in the middle of a test so no one could come with me. I just walked out of the classroom, down the hall, and out the door. My teacher, who was also a yeerk, would think they killed me on the spot. The principal would think the teacher had followed me out and killed me outside the classroom. So everything was covered. They would send a letter to my mom saying how I fell from the rope course or how a science project killed me. So I'd have to get the mail every day. And I made up my own report cards, slotting in my averages.  
  
It was months after the escape that I saw them. The tiger, bear, wolf, red tail, and gorilla. But they were with a strange bluish deer with a humanoid torso and head. And a tail to run from. They were fighting Hork-Bajir and some dracon-beam-armed humans. And the day after is when my story really begins. 


	2. Chapter 2

"So, Rachel, um, where were you last night? I wanted to know what we had for, uh, math?" She gave me the weirdest look. Then whispered something to Cassie and they started to walk away. I ran up ahead of them and as Rachel passed I pulled her into the shadows. "I know what you are."  
  
"Okay… let go of me you freak!"  
  
"Rachel? What's going on?" Cassie sounded worried.  
  
"No. I'm serious. I saw you demorphing. You were in that battle against what I used to be." I whispered so softly she had to lean in close to hear me.  
  
"What do you mean, 'what you used to be?' "  
  
"Exactly what I said. I used to be a controller. Then one night you came and someone smashed my cage open and I escaped." I almost didn't get to finish my sentence. She had my arm twisted around almost immediately.  
  
"Cassie? We need something powerful. Now." I almost started to plead. But I knew pleading doesn't work. Besides, it wasn't my thing.  
  
I held my breath. I knew that Cassie would hold back, but if I made so much as a move to escape she'd literally eat me. I looked at those wolf eyes and suddenly was filled with fear. Sure, I had felt fear before, but not like this. I knew that if I let the yeerk do its job there was some hope that the visser wouldn't chop off my head. But this was so real. All I had to do was breathe and she'd kill me. So I just sat there having a staring contest with a wolf while I was loosing the blood flow in my arm. Isn't my life just the best? Wow, I get to look death in the face. And run away screaming. Sheesh. I let out a pitiful 'don't kill me'. Rachel took no pity.  
  
"Yea, that's it yeerk, plead for mercy. I'd love to hear more. I'm really going to let you go and tell your yeerk friends about our little secret." I felt like using those moves I learned from a friend before I was infested. But that wouldn't be the best way to bring down Rachel's temper. She suddenly pulled my arm. Hard. I guessed she felt bored, so she broke my arm. I let out a few unrepeatable words.  
  
"What the – was that for? You know, I'm only trying to help. Maybe like killing a couple of those slimy things with you! I hate them as much as you do! –, why did you do that?!" I continued cursing like this until Cassie jumped on me and put a paw on my mouth.  
  
Stop this nonsense. There is no reason for you to be acting like this.   
  
"She had no right to break my arm!"  
  
"You shouldn't go sneaking around telling people 'you know what they are'! " Rachel had no right to tell me that. I was just wondering if I could be a part of their group! I jumped up and ran away, holding my arm. Now I would have to lie again, maybe by saying I fell off my bike on the way home from school. Or something.  
  
"So, she, like, followed me around and told me, 'I know what you are'." Rachel was telling the group. I was listening from the shadows.  
  
Maybe you shouldn't have broken her arm. A 'voice' said from the rafters. Believe it or not, but I could 'hear' it too. They all looked tense, as if one of them had committed a serious crime and they had kept it secret until someone spit it out. But they were all picturing a weird person, who had escaped from an insane asylum and had personally witnessed the fight. I so wanted to make an entrance then and there, but that could have ended in disaster.  
  
"I think we should leave this to our fearless leader." Marco stated. "Jake, what's your opinion on this weirdo?" He held a pretend microphone in front of Jake.  
  
"First of all, Marco, quit it. Second, I think we need to find out who this person is. Description, please?" He looked at Rachel and Cassie.  
  
"She's got black hair, Rachel's height or a little taller, grey eyes and when we saw her she was wearing a blue blazer and jeans." Cassie explained. Of course, I knew that was right, but Rachel disagreed.  
  
"No, she had blue eyes, didn't she? Really pale, blue eyes." She looked sure of herself. But how would she know what the colour of my eyes were? She was behind me the whole time. But I couldn't step out and say so. I wanted to hear their plans, but it was getting hard to conceal myself. Then I heard, 'hey, where's Ax?' Then all was black. 


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up, I found myself tied to a table. "What the…?" I looked around as much as I could with limited movement. I was still in the barn, but in a different part of the barn.  
  
So, awake, yeerk? We were hoping you would wake soon so we could kill you and you could experience it. I looked around again for the source of the "sound."  
  
"Andalite? Are you an Andalite?" I hoped that it, whatever it was, would answer me with something other than a dracon beam blast.  
  
Yes, yeerk, I am an Andalite. And I am your executioner. The Andalite sounded so sure of himself. Then another voice cut into my head.  
  
So, yeerk filth, how did you discover us? We had well hid the battle. If you were a part of the battle then I would understand, but I saw you nowhere on the battlefield. It was a different voice, as different as a voice in thought speak could be. It sounded softer, more forgiving. The first was so harsh it almost reminded me of visser three. I hoped it wasn't him. Or I was a dead duck.  
  
"I was not a part of that battle. In fact, I've never fought against you. As I told Rachel, I had been released from the clutches of the yeerk empire a while before." I heard a sound of uncertainty coming from behind me, out of my sight.  
  
I also heard a faint whisper. "Why didn't you tell me she told you that?" So, I was tied up when they didn't know if I was even the enemy. I had figured that they had still thought me foe after I said I was free from the yeerks. I suddenly had my hands back, then my legs, then my feet. I sat up. I fell right back down again. I was still dizzy from being hit by the tail blade. I let my head recover, then sat up again. I saw two boys and two girls. Human. And one Andalite. "Where is the second Andalite?"  
  
The boys exchanged looks and the taller one said, "He's up there." The shorter boy pointed up to the rafters. I looked up and saw a red tail.  
  
"I've seen that red tail in the battles. The one from which I was set free and the one that I saw in the forest." They all looked puzzled. As if I had said something so complex it was hard to figure out.  
  
Rachel gave me a hard look. "He's a nothlit."  
  
I think I can speak for myself. Well, I think I can think for myself. The softer of the two thought-speakers. Why is everyone so quiet? It's giving me the chills. I took it upon myself to break the silence that, outside our heads, was still going on.  
  
"I suppose I should tell you my name. It's Sheila. I was saved when Rachel rushed past my cave and knocked it over, unlocking and opening the door. I got up and ran for my life. Last night, I saw you all fighting. When Rachel had gotten badly damaged, she hid in the bushes, not five feet away from me. I saw her demorph and remorph. Then saw her go back to fighting, just damaging herself more than the first time. But I'm going to shut up now."  
  
"Good, you voice was starting to be as boring as Ax's." the shorter boy said.  
  
Then the taller boy talked. "Why don't we tell her our names? It's only fair. So, I'm Jake. This is the group."  
  
"Rachel"  
  
Tobias  
  
"Cassie"  
  
"Marco"  
  
Aximmili-Esgarouth-Isthil. You may call me Ax. I wondered if 'Tobias' was the short form of an Andalite name.  
  
"Is the name Tobias short of anything?" The one named Marco's eyes rolled around as if the answer was easily found.  
  
"Duh. No. Tobias is Tobias is Tobias is Tobias is…"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Rachel exploded.  
  
"Tobias is shut up?" Marco was obviously going to be annoying. Almost as annoying as having a yeerk in your head. Not quite, but almost. But any way, I didn't know weither they would let me join their group. I hoped they would. But that, for now was irrelevant. Right now, all that mattered was living through my first conferentaion with them. So I concentrated on that.  
  
"What are you planning to do to me?" Rachel gave the answer to that.  
  
"Now that you know our secret, we will have to lock you up for three days to make sure that you really are what you say you are. Then we'll see."  
  
"Now, Rachel, who's the leader of the group, you or…"  
  
"Shut up!" Rachel and I yelled at once.  
  
"Sheesh. You'd think there were two Rachels again or something. Except they're both mean and have tempers."  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"Long story."  
  
"Ah. I see."  
  
"Arrgghh! This girl is Rachel and Ax put together!"  
  
That is impossible. This girl looks nothing like Rachel or myself and I have no memory of anyone other than Tobias acquiring me.   
  
"ARRGGHH!" 


	4. Chapter 4

So I was held hostage for a while. About three days. With animals as my guards. Once or twice I had a human watch over me. In fact, it was twice. Rachel, then Jake. Then back to Andalite and red-tail. Bored. Very, very bored. I got meals of bread and water and some other different things they rummaged up from leftovers and things. Oh, delightful menu. Just the best food I've ever tasted. But I didn't say anything. For fear of starvation by order of Rachel the mighty. As mighty as the chair I was sitting in. But, that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that they apologized after holding me hostage for three days.  
  
"I feel much better now that I'm not a wanted criminal." I stated. Marco rolled his eyes.  
  
"That's something I would say."  
  
"Then maybe I'm Rachel, Ax, and you put together." He looked worried. He ran and hid behind Jake, looking as if he was just scared out of his wits. So I felt sorry for him. In the next life. "Geeze, you're a little worried now aren't you, Marco?"  
  
"N-no." he shook. And I knew I would have fun making fun of him. And I knew, somehow, he would have fun too. "Okay, fearless leader. What do we do with her?"  
  
"Well. I'm not sure what to do." Marco and Rachel exchanged looks.  
  
"The fearless leader doesn't know what to do about little ol' me?" I said, putting on my cowgirl voice.  
  
"Um… no. I don't know what to do about you. Have any suggestions?"  
  
Don't give her the power to morph. That's my suggestion. Tobias sounded like he meant it. But why?  
  
"I second that notion. If we do, we could end up with the same problem as before…" What problem? I was a problem? Well, I knew I was one, but how big of a problem could I be? "I don't need to chew off my tail again." Ugh. Thanks.  
  
"You're right. No more mouse-boys." Mouse-boys? What?  
  
"What are you guys talking about, exactly?" I looked around the room at them. They all looked at each other, all expecting someone else to answer my question.  
  
"Long story. Short version: we gave a boy the power to morph, then he tried to kill us, and then chickened out on us." Rachel informed me.  
  
It was very confusing when the newest member tied to kill Prince Jake. Prince? This group of rebels was getting weirder and weirder.  
  
"Okay, I'd enjoy it if someone let me know why Ax here says 'Prince" 


	5. Chapter 5

That little questionnaire session lasted for all of ten minutes. I saw Ax morph, a bunch of animals go crazy, and Cassie's father have heart attack seeing the chaos in the barn. I slipped out of there as quickly as I could, resolving to finish it all tomorrow.  
  
In other words, not much was settled, except for the fact that they agreed I wasn't foe.  
  
The next afternoon, while downtown shopping, I was once again grabbed from behind. And my arm was once more twisted, but not as harshly, because the 2nd stage cast was in the way of it.  
  
I collapsed, and sneered at Rachel. "You just love trying to break me in half, don't you?" She smiled wickedly back at me. I could tell this was developing into the best relationship ever.  
  
"I can't help it," she confessed, "you're just so easy to overcome." I glared at her, then got to my feet and started walking away. "You won't ever be allowed to join us, you know." She called after me. I was beyond the point of caring at that moment.  
  
Join those freaks? How many times were they going to treat me like a pile of crud? I decided right there that I was going to dump the whole crime- fighting thing. It really wasn't like me, anyway. I deserved a break, and I was gonna take it before the world went down the yeerk-pool drain.  
  
* * * *  
  
Two weeks past and my arm finally healed correctly. The doctor was really confused at how my arm could have twisted out of position so harshly. I acted just as stupefied as he did. I ran out of that place, not sure who I could trust in there.  
  
That night, I went for a nice, long walk. It used to be my favorite pass-time. I mean, before I was taken. While I was a controller, it wasn't quite as fun. The majority of the "walk" consisted of me trying to fight off the stupid thing. Although, sometimes my yeerk, Hamilli-6924, pleasured on boasting his life, and his dreams for the future. He was going to use me as a doorway to becoming Visser 23, six steps away from his position, which he probably lost for losing me. Apparently, heterage means nothing to the yeerks, it was all a one man show. So Hamilli-six-nine-two-four had made it to Visser 29 all by his lonesome. Should I be waving a flag or something? Did this make me lucky? No, it still kept me at the same status. Ex- controller. 


	6. Chapter 6-Marco

0x08 graphic  
MARCO  
  
I really thought Sheila might be getting out of hand. But even more so than Sheila, Rachel. I'd never seen Rachel act so much like a bully. She'd broken the poor girl's arm! I really didn't get what had gotten over her. Neither did Jake.  
  
"Alright, Rachel. What's up with you?" Jake confronted her in front of the group at our latest meeting about Sheila. She gave him a sour look, but that shine in her eye, the one that got everyone worried, did not go away.  
  
"I'm supporting the team, and protecting us from possible dangers." She glared at him, looking like she was challenging him to try and stop her. Jake took the challenge.  
  
"Rachel, we know that Sheila is not dangerous. We locked her up for three days!! Give the girl a break. She's probably very stressed out, having to keep away from Chapman, and you, plus lie to her mother." He was hovering close to her now, and Ax was hovering close by as well, knowing Rachel's nature. I saw Jake nod, and knew Ax was telling him something.  
  
"Yeah Rachel, even you know how stressful your watchful eye can become." I joked, and she shot me a poisonous look. "You're becoming more dangerous than the yeerks," I added purposefully, trying to make sure she was getting the point.  
  
"I am just doing my job!! Jake wants me to watch for danger, I'm watching for danger. She's just looking for the power to do exactly what David did! You all know it! You just don't want to admit that it could happen again!" Rachel's gaze flowed from one person to the next, trying to find someone who would agree with her, but still looking quite able to do it alone.  
  
Rachel, this is all too much. Please give her a chance. We need all the help we can get. Besides, we lived through it before, who's to say we can't handle it again? That blew Rachel's gasket. Tobias stood up to her, and that just wasn't allowed. She shoved Jake back, and slapped me against the jaw, because I was close. Cassie tried to calm her down, but she just pushed her aside, too. Ax looked like he wanted to help, but Jake told him to stand back.  
  
We all watched, dumbfounded, as Rachel stormed out of the barn. I have to admit though, she looked as if this was how she had always dreamed it would be. To put it bluntly, she looked happy.   
  
"Jake," Cassie broke the silence, "I think we should keep a careful eye on her." Jake nodded, then gave a curt nod up at Tobias, who took flight from his post.  
  
"Ax, you and Marco go see if you can spot her downtown anywhere, Cassie and I will check around the neighborhood. If anyone spots her, tell Sheila, then come find me. We're on a rescue mission this time, guys, and an ally is at risk. Two allies. Let's try not to screw this up, okay?" We all agreed, and as Jake and Cassie morphed bird, Ax went human to roam the streets with me.  
  
***  
  
I held the door open for Ax as he finished off his third cinnamon bun. "Well, she's nowhere to be seen in the mall. Maybe Cassie should have come with us to check in the public washrooms, huh?" Ax gave me a puzzled look as he licked his fingers.  
  
"There are many rules here that I don't understand." He shook his head. I laughed.  
  
"Neither do I buddy, neither do I." I tugged on his jacket sleeve, then motioned for him to come. "Well, we've checked the mall, a few exercising places, and her gymnastics school. Where else would she be downtown?" I looked at Ax for an idea.  
  
"Perhaps she would be in the park. The one at the center of town?" He smiled, and pointed in the direction of the park. I nodded. "Yeah." I agreed. He smiled again. "Sss-enttt-urrrrr? Such an interesting word. Cent-urr." I laughed again, and started off on a jog. He started after me, and we stopped at the first bench in the park to catch our breath.  
  
"Hey Ax-man, what time is it?" I looked up at the sky, even though I really had no idea how to read the time by that. I had to be home for my dad tonight. I had promised to watch some wrestling with him.  
  
"It is 3 hours and 25 of your minutes." He replied almost mechanically, looking around us for any sign of Rachel. I motioned for him to stand, and stood myself, and we started to walk down the path through the park to look for her.  
  
"Ax, I just thought of something. Do we even know where Sheila lives?" I stopped in my tracks at the thought, and this time Ax laughed.  
  
"Do not worry about that, I do know where she lives. She may not be there, but I know where her home is." 


	7. Chapter 7-Jake

JAKE  
  
  
  
I swooped over the intersection, peering down Rachel's street. Cassie and I had been searching for almost an hour, and we hadn't found anything. Not a trace of her. I wondered silently how the others were doing. Maybe she went back to the barn, Jake. Cassie suggested. What if she waited for us all to leave, and now she's hanging out there? Or in the woods? She sounded rather tense. I figured this must all be pretty hard for her, what with her best friend going all psychopath on us. Again. Yeah. Maybe. I didn't think she would have done that, but lord knows where Rachel would go at a time like this. I had figured she would be looking for Sheila in some public place, or at home scoping the telephone book for her name. Then I wondered if she knew Sheila's last name. There was also the question if Rachel had any rough history with Sheila. Cassie, I began as we moved towards the barn, did Rachel know Sheila before all this started? I swung away from her, noticing I was getting a little close. Since you're her good friend and all, I thought you might know why Rachel is being so nasty. Cassie stayed pretty quiet, trying to think, I guess. We dropped into the barn from Tobias' look-out-post, and she landed on the floor, demorphing. I don't think so J- She got cut off for a moment. "I don't remember her from before. I don't think Rachel ever said anything about her, either." I nodded, then called out for Tobias, hoping he could heard me. There was a faint reply from him, one I couldn't really make out. Soon I heard him again, and it was louder. No sign of her out in the woods, Jake. I've been calling and calling. Thanks anyway, Tobias. You can take a short rest, if you need to. I dropped down to the floor of the barn, now demorphing like Cassie. "Tobias can't find her, either. I'm starting to get really worried, Cass." I shook my head, and she put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure we'll find her, Jake. It's just a matter of time. Maybe we should wait till she shows herself. Either of them." I looked at her and smiled. She always seemed to know what to do, and at the same time she never gave in. We both jumped when the sudden noise cam from behind us. "So does that mean you guys aren't after my hide anymore?" I recognized the voice as Sheila's. "We never were after you, Sheila," Cassie informed her. Sheila stepped out of her hiding place, where we had found her spying on us originally. She had bags under her gray eyes, and her hair was pretty frazzled. It looked like Rachel had almost driven her to drink. She walked over to us cautiously, and when she saw we were telling the truth, flopped down on a bale of hay. "That cousin of yours, Jake, she's blood-thirsty. Insane." She pulled herself back up into a sitting position and looked at me sincerely. "She just won't leave me alone. I've been hiding from her." That's when we heard her coming through the door. "Hey! Cassie, where have you been? I called awhile ago, but your mom said you were-" Rachel looked at Sheila with glittering eyes. "So you've found her, have you? She's crafty, this one." Then she took one look at me, then dived at Sheila. 


End file.
